One of women, aged 26 who said she is from Kenya, said: “I’m angry, to be honest. The staff have been speculating for three weeks my friend could have TB- we asked to be tested and we were turned down. I don’t feel safe at all. So many people at Yarl’s Wood are coughing and ill right now- why isn’t everyone being tested?”

She said another detainee had been released two months before after being diagnosed with the infectious disease.

Chief operating officer for G4S Health at Yarl’s Wood, Emma Moore, said: “Like every other immigration centre, our team conducts an initial assessment of every detainee’s healthcare needs and, where necessary, refers them for further tests or treatment inside the centre or at local hospitals.

In cases of tuberculosis, we involve specialist TB clinicians locally, work with Public Health England and take immediate steps to minimise the risk of transmission to other detainees.”